"It was fun until their third beer."
---
Kiko doesn't know how she ended up in this state.
She smiled at the two females as she nodded to them, not knowing what to do. She wished Fujio would be home soon and save her from his family.
Sure, she loved Miki, Fujio's mother, and Fuyumi, his sister, but she didn't know they would go and drink while grabbing a microphone and singing their drunken hearts out.
Earlier, she bumped into Fuyumi. The latter talked about how she was dating her brother in surprise.
"Seriously, how did you end up dating my brother?" Fuyumi had asked with an amusing smile.
"I also don't know," Kiko humored as the two laughed. When the laughter dissipated, the younger girl spoke, "You're dating Murayama Yoshiki, right?"
Fuyumi nodded as they walked through the busy streets of Oya, "I guess I can't judge you dating Fujio, huh?"
Kiko chuckled at the older woman's statement. Somehow, Fujio and Murayama were alike though they were different in so many ways.
"Are you meeting Fujio?"
"Yeah, but not in an hour or so," Kiko replied as she checked her phone for the time. She still has an hour and a half before she meets him.
"Do you want to come over and just wait for him over there? I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind. Besides, she's excited to meet you," Fuyumi suggested with a hopeful look.
Kiko caught her breath in her throat as she tried to make up a lie so she won't go with her. However, as if the universe is going against her, she couldn't think of anything.
It wasn't like she didn't like them but wasn't it too soon for her to meet the family of the guy she was dating?
"Sure," Kiko muttered, squeezing her breath in her lungs.
Fuyumi's face lit up as she grabbed the girl's wrist, "Great! Don't worry, Mom loves you already! I mean, you're dating Fujio, she knows you're a miracle in this world."
Kiko nervously laugh as she was dragged by the older female.
And that's how Odajima Kiko ended up at the Hanaoka's household with two drunk older women. She already texted Fujio that she was in there but she didn't get a reply yet.
After five songs from the household matriarch, the front door slammed, revealing Fujio with a cluttered look as if he just ran a marathon to get there.
Kiko cried out internally. She was so happy to see him that she ran up and tackled the boy into a hug.
"You're here," the girl muttered as she pulled away. Fujio gave her a lopsided smile and turned to his mother and sister.
"Hey, Fujio," Miki greeted her son, her words were slurring as she had drank three bottles of beer already.
"You two, seriously..." the boy muttered as he stared at the state of the two female figures in his life.
"What? We're having fun, you know," Fuyumi said, gulping down the last bit of her beer.
"Yeah, too much fun," Fujio replied, he put an arm around Kiko's waist as he turned to her, "I hope they didn't bother you that much."
"No, they didn't," Kiko laughed, shaking her head, "It was fun until their third beer."
The male chuckled as he approached his sister and mother, telling them to stop drinking already. It was dark outside and almost dinner but the two females were already drunk to have one.
When Fujio settled the two, he and Kiko began to leave the apartment but not before saying goodbye to them.
Kiko laughed as she heard the mother whine, not wanting her to go but Fujio already closed the door as they walked outside.
"How did you end up in here, anyway?" Fujio asked amusingly as they walked down the stairs of the apartment building.
"I bumped into your sister when I was going to meet you. We got to talking and she suggested coming over to your home," Kiko chuckled, shaking her head.
"Well, I think Mom likes you."
"She does," she grinned as she intertwined her hand with his, exiting the building, "Honestly, I was nervous to meet her but Fuyumi-san assured me your mother was excited to see me."
Fujio groaned, nodding in agreement, "Yeah! She was pestering me about you, asking me when she will meet you."
Kiko laughed at that. Hanaoka Miki was a bubbly and energetic woman and she was sure they got along well because they share the same energy.
Actually, the matriarch has too much energy that even Kiko couldn't handle her when she became drunk. Besides that, Fuyumi was also too energetic.
They were fun to be around, but Kiko felt uncomfortable earlier since that was the first time she met Miki and the first time she hang around with Fuyumi for that long.
"They have a lot of energy than me," Kiko muttered, "I didn't know anyone can actually beat me with that."
Fujio laughed at the statement, shaking his head in amusement, "Well, now you have rivals."
—
"What?" Nozomi questioned, looking up at Tsukasa who sits down across from her. She was doing her homework when she noticed a pair of eyes staring at her.
The two decided to go to a library after school hours. Though, it was Nozomi who wanted to go there to finish her homework due a week later. She wanted to finish all of it as soon as possible so she can have a lot of free time.
"Nothing," the blonde male replied, smiling at her.
Nozomi frowned but couldn't help not to smile. She can feel her face heating up just by staring back at him.
"You're getting bored, aren't you?" the girl asked, giving him an apologetic smile.
"No, no," Tsukasa shook his head, "Just continue doing what you're doing. I'll wait for you."
"You know you don't have to–"
"Nozomi," the young male gave her an assuring smile, "It's fine."
The said girl let out a sigh and nodded, "Just tell me if you want to get out of here."
"I will," Tsukasa muttered with a smile, looking down at the book that he was reading.
After half an hour, the couple finally exited the library. It was already seven in the evening and the sun was already setting down.
Tsukasa tugged the girl in her sleeve and intertwined his hand with hers, causing Nozomi to smile as she looked at their hands.
"Thanks for going with me here. I promise we can go somewhere else next time," she said as she looked up at the blonde's face.
"I had fun earlier, don't worry."
"We didn't even do anything," Nozomi chuckled, furrowing her brows.
"At least I get to spend time with you," Tsukasa stated, shrugging.
The girl pressed her lips into a thin line, fighting the grin that was threatening to come out.
How in heaven did she end up dating this wonderful person? Nozomi will always wonder why.
"You're too much," she muttered.
"What?"
Nozomi giggled. She stopped walking, earning a confused look from the blonde. But he was shocked when the girl tiptoed and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"What was that for?" Tsukasa asked, grinning from ear to ear.
The young girl laughed, "Just... nothing."
"That's not nothing."
Nozomi started to walk first, leaving the grinning male behind.
"I told you it's nothing!" the girl exclaimed.
Tsukasa stared at her, shaking his head in amusement. He jogged to catch up with her, his grin still plastered on his face.